Banque Populaire du Rwanda
Encyclopedia
Overview
The bank is one of the thirteen licensed commercial bankCommercial bank
After the implementation of the Glass–Steagall Act, the U.S. Congress required that banks engage only in banking activities, whereas investment banks were limited to capital market activities. As the two no longer have to be under separate ownership under U.S...
s in the Republic of Rwanda. Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) is commonly know to focus on retail (consumer) banking activities (current and savings, accounts, loans, etc. and consumer banking tools like mobile banking
Mobile Banking
Mobile banking is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments, credit applications and other banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant . The earliest mobile banking services were offered over SMS...
), as well as agricultural business expertise, with corporate customers in the food and agri-business value chain - in-line with their farming/cooperative foundation and involvement Rabobank
Rabobank
Rabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
as a shareholder.
History
BPR started in 1986 as Union des Banques Populaires du Rwanda (UBPR), an alliance of cooperative financial institutions around the county. In 2008, UBPR transformed from a copoperative bank into a commercial bank, Banque Populaire du Rwanda SA.Ownership
As of December 2009, the majority of shares in the bank are held by the Rwandan financial cooperatives that constituted the old UBPR. A minority stake in the bank is owned by the Dutch cooperative bank, RabobankRabobank
Rabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
. The table below, summarizes the stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
ownership of BPR:
{| style="font-size:100%;"
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| width="100%" align="center" | Banque Populaire du Rwanda Stock Ownership
|- valign="top"
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Rank !!Name of Owner!!Percentage Ownership
|-
|1||Rwanda Financial Cooperatives||65.0
|-
|2||Rabobank
Rabobank
Rabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
||35.0
|-
|||Total||100.0
|-
|}
Branch network
As of February 2011, BPR maintains a branch network of eighteen (18) branches around the country, and 189 total bank locations (including sub-branches and outlets):- Main Branch - KigaliKigaliKigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
- BPF Branch - Kigali
- Kimironko Branch - Kigali
- Muhima Branch - Kigali
- Rwezamenyo Branch - Kigali
- Muhanga Branch - MuhangaMuhangaMuhanga is a district in Southern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Gitarama, one of Rwanda's largest cities, gateway to the west and south of the country and seat of the provisional government during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.- Geography :...
- Musanze Branch - MusanzeMusanzeMusanze is a district in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Its capital city is Ruhengeri, which is also sometimes known as Musanze.- Geography and tourism :...
- Rusizi Branch - RusiziRusiziRusizi may refer to:* Rusizi River, a river which flows between Lakes Kivu and Tanganyika, in Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC* Rusizi National Park, a park based on the river Rusizi near Bujumbura, Burundi* Rusizi , a district in West Province, Rwanda...
- Gicumbi Branch - GicumbiGicumbiGicumbi is a district in Northern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Byumba, which is also the provincial capital.- Geography :The district lies due-north of Kigali, straddling the major road from Kigali to Kampala...
- Rubavu Branch - RubavuRubavuRubavu is a district in Western Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Gisenyi, Rwanda's biggest beach resort and border city.- Geography :...
- Ngoma Branch - NgomaNgomaNgoma, Zambia is the only settlement in the south of Kafue National Park. It is a short way south of Itezhi-Tezhi Dam. Ngoma is the home of the head warden for the south half of the park, and for around 200 game wardens and their families employed by ZAWA...
- Huye Branch - HuyeHuyeHuye may refer to:* Mount Huye, a mountain in southern Rwanda.* Huye , a bottled mineral water brand sold in Rwanda and produced on Mount Huye.* Huye , a district of South Province, Rwanda, which contains Mount Huye and Butare city....
- Rwamagana Branch - RwamaganaRwamaganaRwamagana is a city and capital of both Rwamagana district and the Eastern Province of Rwanda- Description :Rwamagana lies approximately from Kigali, on the newly renovated road leading east towards Tanzania...
- Karongi Branch - KarongiKarongiKarongi is a district in Western Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Rubengera, but the district also contains Kibuye, the provincial capital and a major Rwandan lakeside resort.- Geography :...
- Nyamagabe Branch - NyamagabeNyamagabeNyamagabe is a district in Southern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Gikongoro city.- Geography, flora and fauna :The district lies between Butare and Cyangugu in the south-west of Rwanda, and contains much of the former Gikongoro Province, which was disbanded in 2006...
- Nyagatare Branch - NyagatareNyagatareNyagatare is a city and capital of Nyagatare district in Eastern Province, Rwanda. It has a population of 9000 inhabitants.The city is located at the end of a 12 km spur from the Kayonza-Kagitumba road, and has grown considerably since 1994, boosted by an influx of former refugees from Uganda...
- Bugesera Branch - BugeseraBugeseraBugesera is a district in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamata.The district is the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan Genocide: the Ntarama Genocide Memorial Site and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site.- Geography :...
- Nyanza Branch - NyanzaNyanzaNyanza may refer to:*Nyanza, Rwanda**Nyanza District, the district surrounding Nyanza, Rwanda*Nyanza Province, Kenya*Nyanza Lac, Burundi*Nyanza, the Bantu word for lake, in particular:**Lake Albert **Lake Edward...
Directors
The activities of Banque Populaire du Rwanda are supervised by an eight-member Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. The current chairman of the board is Manasse Twahirwa.
Management board
The day-to-day activities of the bank are administered by an executive management board representing commercial activities, operations, risk and the branch network, headed by the Chief Executive OfficerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, (CEO). The current CEO is Herman Klaasen.